It is time to unite and hold Pakistan accountable on international forums: Hyrbyair Marri

LONDON: The President of the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM), Hyrbyair Marri in a statement from London said that after failing to silence the Baloch voice for their legitimate right to independence, Pakistan is subjecting the Baloch women to enforced disappearances.

The Baloch pro-freedom leader said that Balochistan’s victims of enforced disappearances are already denied the right to a fair trial and due process and now Pakistan is prohibiting them the right to peaceful protests for their loved ones by abducting and intimidating Baloch women.

 The head of FBM further said that Pakistan is blatantly violating the Geneva Conventions and International humanitarian laws by enforcing collective punishment on Baloch women. Since the occupation of Balochistan, Pakistan has been applying different inhumane actions that include enforced disappearances, torture, custodial murders, and genocide against the Baloch nation to counter the Baloch movement for independence of Balochistan.

Hyrbyair Marri said that when women were forcibly disappeared, tortured, harassed, and murdered in East Timor and Kosovo, the international community intervened on humanitarian grounds and prevented those human rights violations. However, when it comes to Balochistan, the international community has kept an undue silence. Does a different humanitarian law apply to the people of Balochistan as opposed to the rest of the world? Has Pakistan been given immunity from the Geneva Conventions and International humanitarian law?

 Mr Marri said that it disappointing for the people of Balochistan that Pakistani state violence and brutalities against Baloch of Baloch women are unable to shake the conscience of the civilized world.

The Baloch leader reiterated that Pakistan will not be successful in its attempt to counter the Baloch independence movement by inflicting severe atrocities on the Baloch nation including Baloch women.

Mr Marri emphasised, “Now is the time for all Baloch pro-independence political parties to come together and form a coalition and collectively hold Pakistan accountable for it’s inhumane and barbaric crimes against Baloch people on various international forums.”